Laughter therapy eases anxiety in nursing students

Online laughter therapy helps reduce feelings of anxiety among nursing students, boosting their life satisfaction and psychological well-being, a new study has found.

The study included 40 students who were assigned to receive the laughter therapy intervention and 40 controls. Laughter therapy was delivered through 10 online sessions twice a week for 5 weeks; controls received no intervention. Psychological outcomes were measured using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Satisfaction and Life Scale, and Psychological Well-Being Scale.

State anxiety scores dropped significantly after laughter therapy, from 46.49 at baseline to 30.21 at the post-intervention follow-up (p<0.001). Controls likewise saw a significant improvement in state anxiety (p=0.01), though final scores remained significantly better in the intervention arm (p<0.001).

Similarly, trait anxiety was significantly reduced by laughter therapy (46.62 to 39.87; p<0.001), an effect that was absent in controls (p=0.222). The same was true for well-being (43.03 to 47.41; p<0.001) and life satisfaction (20.67 to 25.59; p<0.001) scores, both of which significantly improved after the intervention. No such impact was reported for controls.

“The findings of the current study suggest that 10 sessions of online laughter therapy exercises can be used as complementary therapy in reducing anxiety levels in nursing students, increasing life satisfaction and psychological well-being,” the researchers said.

“Because laughter therapy is a safe, affordable, and cost-effective therapy, it can be applied online to a wider student body,” they added.